SAOh - Sword Art Online, Harbinger
by KasaiF
Summary: What would you do if you were given two choices? Makoto is sent a box with a special surprise after the recent VRMMO known as "Sword Art Online" is released and it's game designer goes missing around the same time. Diving into an unknown world can be frightening sometimes, but also very inviting. But, was it the right choice to enter this fantasy world, where death means death?
1. Chapter 1 - He's Gone?

[SAO.H] - Part 1,

*NOTE* The cover image goes to it's rightful owner, I only added a small part. I'm sorry if this bugs you, but I hope it's temporary  
>====================================================================================================================={Osume Makoto's Personal File}<p>

Gender - Male, Age - 16, Hair - Snowy, Eyes - Forest Green  
>Affiliation - High school student; second year<p>

{Access Denied! Further contents are blocked off by administrative powers!}

"It worked..." The man sighed, letting his head fall to the desk.  
>"At least now, he'll be safe from the worst..." His eyes slowly closed, followed by a few snores.<p>

[Furoi High School - Class 2-B]

"Jeez, that geezer never seems to shut up!" Takasea yawned as he hit his head against the desk lightly.  
>"Well, he is a teacher." Makoto reminded him, looking out the window next to him.<br>"That doesn't mean he has lecture us about morals when were doing nothing!" He complained, continuing to hit his head against the wooden desk.  
>"Knowing you, you should be thanking him." Makoto remarked, chuckling.<br>"Oi! That's just not right!" Takasea yelled, however stopped knowing that he wouldn't be able to win an argument against him.  
>"You two never change." A girl walked into the classroom, commenting on the two arguing.<br>"You haven't left yet, Shizue-san?" Makoto glanced behind him.  
>"Club stuff." She replied, taking a seat next to him.<br>"You changed your hair again?" Takasea asked, noticing her new look. Her cinnamon hair fell down to the middle point of her back in a straight fashion. She had a couple of bangs that slightly covered her navy blue eyes.  
>"I think I like this the best." She answered, moving a part of her hair away from her eye.<br>"What do you think, Makoto?" Takasea turned to him, waiting for his answer. "Looks good to me." He responded.  
>"That's it?" "Is a simple compliment bad?" Makoto asked, hearing Takasea sigh in the background.<p>

The bell rang again, signaling the end of club activities. The dense flood of students made it almost impossible for people in the back to get out, and were usually left in the deserted building until they reached the front. Makoto, however, used the backdoor, which no one seemed to use. The door led out to a large, open field, adorned with many flowers of different varieties. A great place to relax. Makoto lied down among the flowers, looking up at the sky as the cool breeze pushed his snowy hair, medium length hair away from his eyes.

"You always come here, don't you?" Shizue asked, sitting on the ground next to him.  
>"It's quiet." He replied, shielding his eyes from the sun's rays.<br>"Figured you say something simple like that." She sighed, watching the horizon. The peaceful bliss was interrupted by a loud pinging noise, coming from Takasea's phone.

"Dude-" Makoto looked over at him, giving him a slight death stare.  
>"What? It's not my fault!" He yelled, checking the email he had received. He seemed to stare at it for a few minutes, before getting his bearings back.<br>"Well, are you going to tell us?" Shizue asked, waving her hand in front of his face to get his attention.  
>"Sorry- I just was surprised is all." He blinked a couple of times, still slightly shocked. Makoto sat up as the three of them looked at his phone.<p>

"Argus' Game Designer, Akihiko Kayaba, disappears after the release of the long awaited VRMMO, Sword Art Online." Makoto read allowed.

"So what?" Shizue asked, not seeing the significance.  
>"He was the one who created the NerveGear, right? He was also the designer of Sword Art Online." Makoto told her from what he had heard around the school and news.<br>"So, he just disappeared after it's launch?" Takasea asked.  
>"Seems like it, but why though?" Makoto began to think.<br>"You got anything?" Shizue asked the mastermind of their group.  
>"Not anything specific. The logical thing to say would be that he didn't want to have to deal with the fame." He replied.<br>"But, what if the game failed?" She questioned.  
>"I don't think that's gonna happen. Those beta testers have been on the news saying how awesome the game is, but no live video." Takasea answered.<br>"That's odd." Makoto said as he searched the internet on his phone.  
>"What?"<br>"All the data on him is restricted." "Seriously?"  
>"Look." Makoto turned his phone, showing them what he was talking about.<p>

{Access Denied! Further contents are blocked off by administrative powers!}

The phone began to vibrate. A phone call? Makoto repositioned his phone in his hand, tapping the "accept" button.

"What's up?" He asked the caller.  
>"Did you order a package?" asked the caller.<br>"No, why?" Makoto answered confusingly.  
>"There's one on the doorstep for you."<br>"Who's it from?"  
>"Anonymous."<br>"Tell her I'll be taking the next train there."  
>"That's not for another hour, you know."<br>"I know, there's something I need to do."  
>"She'll get angry."<br>"Cover for me."  
>"Being your older sister is tough sometimes."<br>"Quit complaining."  
>"I'm hanging up." The screen on the phone flashed on, reading the words "CALL ENDED."<p>

"What are you going to do?" Shizue asked him as he stood up.  
>"I have a feeling that game is trouble." Makoto stated, looking up at the sky, the wind blowing the hair away from his eyes again. She had a confused look on her face.<br>"Look, even if he wanted to escape the press, there's no way he could have done so without leaving something behind-" He tried to explain, "I bet you he disappeared before the game actually launched, not yesterday when it did."  
>"Why do you say that?" Shizue questioned him. It was almost like he was being interrogated.<br>"Just a hunch- Anyways, I'll catch you later." He began to walk off, waving to his friends behind him.  
>"He worries me." Shizue bit her lip.<br>"Just let him go." Takasea returned to his phone, searching through his emails.

[Outside City Department Store]

The streets were outrageously packed. Cars were stuck in crowds of people, who all seemed to rush to the department store. Makoto knew exactly why as well. Everyone was rushing to get the latest hardware to play the new VRMMO. Virtual reality massive multiplayer online game, huh? It sounded fishy to him. But, it also sounded like other people's safe havens. When you think about it, you can go online, act like someone else, have a few laughs and it's all good. You can make yourself look different, and your personality online may be the complete opposite from your one in reality. He had heard a multitude of stories that explained people who would use online games as a way to vent their anger with themselves or the world around them. It was as if they had their own punching bag with everyone's faces on them.

The department store was, as expected, full to the brim. Customers were even flooding out the door. The helmet sitting on the display rack caught his eye. It had a slick, yet old look to it, with various electrical appliances on the inside of the helmet. A sheet of black glass came down from the forehead guard to cover the eyes, as well as guards to cover the ears and sides of the head. Imprinted on the forehead in game-like writing, were the words, "NerveGear." The helmet that was able to transport the minds of humans into a realm of fantasy. It manipulates your central nervous system, making you unable to move while linked and inside the game. It keeps a scan of your physical body including height and body type. Your face is scanned as well. Your heart rate is monitored along with that. The internal battery keeps the helmet and game running even if there is a power outage. But, what happens when it runs out? Are you booted from the game, or what? Makoto would rather not find out. Next to the helmet, was the box it came in. He remembered his conversation with his sister.

"Did you order a package?" "No, why?" "There's one on the doorstep for you." He recalled. He quickly pulled out his phone, dialing a number. A few rings.

"What?" She asked in a not caring tone.  
>"How big was that box that was for me?" Makoto said with a hurried tone.<br>"Why does it matter?" "Just tell me."  
>"I'd say big enough to fit a helmet in."<br>"Alright, thanks." "Hey, wait-!" Makoto hit the end button, pocketing his phone.

"Could it be, that-?" He asked himself. Did someone send him a NerveGear? He didn't have something he would need a helmet for besides his old rusted bike, but why would someone send him a helmet he would never use? It was the only logical answer. The NerveGear seemed as big as a motorcycle helmet, maybe smaller. There's only one way to find out. He turned in the direction towards the station. He pushed himself through the crowds of people, granting him lots of death glares and complaints. The station was about five minutes away, but with this traffic, it may take ten. Luckily, the crowds were thinning out. The sun was setting, giving the sky an elegant blend of the red-orange sunset sky, along with the mid-afternoon blue tint. The clouds looked black from the sun. But, he didn't want to waste anymore time.

Makoto made his way to the station, boarding just in time. Trying to catch his breath, he noticed that the train car he was in, along with the ones up in front and behind his were nearly empty. Figures. No one is going to miss the sale that is going on. He took a seat on one of the blue padded booth-like seats, peering out the window. The clouds were gathering. It seemed as if it were going to rain. "I need to get back, and fast." He whispered to himself as the train came to a stop. The next stop was his.

The doors slid open. Disregarding the voice that was announcing the name of the stop, he bolted out. It would take about five or so minutes to get back to his house if he were running. Trickles of water fell onto his black dress shirt. The rain began to grow dense, but he was able to make out his house before it got worse. He got onto the veranda, lucky to not be completely drenched. The box was still sitting next to the door. It had no tag, but a note taped to the side. He snatched it into his hands, walking into the house.

[Osume Residence]

"I'm home!" Makoto shouted to what he thought was an empty house.  
>"Do you know what time it is?" His mother's voice came from the kitchen. He was in for a lecture.<br>"Yeah, sorry, the rides home from the city were packed, so I had to take a late one." He slightly laughed, placing the box on the stairs. He stepped into the kitchen, receiving a glare from his sister who was standing at the counter on her phone. "Tch." He scowled slightly, knowing that she did nothing to help him.  
>"Well, did you get that box?" His mother asked him. He nodded, pointing to the box on the stairs.<br>"I don't know who it's from." Makoto shrugged as he admitted the box was also a surprise to him.  
>"You better go see what's in it." She told him with a demanding-like tone.<br>"You're not going to lecture me?" He questioned with a laugh.  
>"Do you want me to?" She had an amused look on her face.<br>"N-no! I'll g-get going now!" Makoto retreated up the stairs. The only thing that could scare him, was his own mother.

Makoto sighed in relief, as he didn't receive one of his mother's famous ten-hour long lectures. Well, that's an exaggeration, but that's what it felt like. He placed the box on his desk, pulling a pair of scissors out of the top drawer. He carefully cut the tape off the top, causing the two flaps to shoot open. He unfolded the other two, which revealed a gray, metal-textured helmet. It was as he expected. He pulled the helmet out, connected to it was a cord and what seemed to be a box to insert the game. Connected to the helmet, was a note.

-What's your choice?-

"What's my choice?" Makoto thought to himself, as he looked inside the box. There were two other objects. One was another box, covered with black tissue paper. The note tapped onto it read, "Yes." The other object was a metal hammer with a long red and black rubber handle. Connected to the middle of the handle was another piece of paper, reading, "No." Makoto pulled the two objects out. He had two options. One was to play the game, or the other was to use the hammer to destroy the helmet. At least, that's what it seemed like.

"Time to see what game this is-!" As he ripped off the paper, he gasped as he read the title. "Sword Art Online..." On the front, it was written in blue letters, with an oddly shaped castle that appeared suspended in the sky. He looked at the box, and then the hammer, and then the helmet. It felt as if the sender were urging him to choose "yes."

"I don't think I really have a choice." He whispered to himself, picking up the helmet. Inside was a small manual. Quickly skimming through, he learned the directions to use the NerveGear.

Makoto plugged the helmet into it's repsective outlet. He opened the game box, taking out the cartridge and placing it in the game slot. He looked into the glass on the helmet, as his face was reflected. He was hesitating. Should he really do this? Was it really a good idea to do this? Well, he could try it and if he didn't like it, just not use it again. He placed the helmet on his head lying down on his bed. Makoto regained his composure. All he had to do, was say what the manual told him to do. A few deep breaths as his eyes closed.

"Link start!" He felt as if his body became paralyzed when he finished saying it. His vision became white, as numerous 3D lines of different colors came rushing at him.

Boxes appeared, all containing a different sense. They turned green, displaying an "OK" mark next to each of them. A blue electronic box appeared.

Gender - Male.

Name - _

A name? A username. It responded to his thoughts, filling it in for him.

Gender - Male

Name - Makoto

The "OK" button lit up, as his vision turned gray. In bold black letters, it read-

Welcome to Sword Art Online!  
>=====================================================================================================================<p> 


	2. Chapter 2 - Use Your Mind and Your Fists

[SAO.H] - Part 2, Use your Mind and your Fists ===========================================================================================================

Welcome to Sword Art Online!

[The Town of Beginnings]

His vision was met with a bright blue light. He could hear many voices, all sounding hyped. the light faded, as he looked at his hand. It was exactly like real life, you know, except for the big health bar GUI at the top left corner of your vision. The bar was full, and his name was imprinted next to it, all inside a sleek looking gray rupee shape. His hands were covered with black and white fingerless gloves, as well as wearing pitch black pants and boots. His shirt was white, covered with a basic iron chestplate latched onto his body tightly with a leather a few leather straps. In front of him was a fountain. The water seemed almost real. No, it looked exactly like it did in the real world. Makoto looked at his reflection. His face looked exactly the same. Was that a feature? Or did he somehow unconsciously tell the game to make his avatar look exactly like he did in real life. His hair was still it's usual snowy color, and his eyes were a dark forest green.

Makoto walked through the medieval looking city, learning the basics and hearing the new players chatting with each other. Many headed out for the fields, while others still seemed to form groups and plans of attacking. Various stands with NPCs lined the walkways, all advertising their goods. As the game had so vividly explained in it's name, there were swords. Numerous swords. Daggers, maces, spears, longswords, shortswords, two-handed swords. Many weapons that were designed to kill in the real world.

"Man, they really went all out with this." His zoned out, looking around at how the scenery and the atmosphere seemed so much similar to that of the real worlds. Just like that, what he thought would've happened, happened. *BANG* Someone ran into him. On accident, he presumed. He heard the person scream slightly as they both fell on the ground.

"O-ow-" Makoto stood up, cycling his arm in a windmill fashion as he just used it to brace his fall. He looked down at the person that was on the ground, rubbing their head. The girl had long, black hair, accompanied by what seemed to be lavender eyes that matched the shirt that was under her breastplate. She had a longsword strapped to her back in a dark red sheath that was adorned with a few metallic designs. "You okay?" He asked, holding his hand out to help her up.  
>"I-I'm fine." She seemed dazzled by what just happened. Nevertheless, she grabbed his hand as he pulled her back to her feet.<br>"I'm sorry." She sighed, bowing her head in apology.  
>"It's fine, just watch where you're going." He advised. She noticed something. That he wasn't carrying a weapon.<br>"Where's your weapon?" She asked, circling around him, looking for some sort of blade. "I guess I should get that before heading out." He whispered to himself, swiping down with his right hand, causing the menu to appear. What was in the weapon's section, was not something he was expecting. "Geo Fists?" Makoto asked out loud, looking at the icon of two gauntlet covered fists crossing each other.  
>"Geo- what?" The girl asked him, trying to see the icon on his menu. Makoto clicked the item, hitting the equipping it to his hands. A blue light appeared, disappearing after manifesting a set of gauntlets on his hands. The gauntlets were mainly red, covered with black and gold designs. Around the wrist, there was an indent down, which had a strip of black metal running through it. The outline of the gauntlets were black, and were strapped around his hands and arm with a black leather. The tips were sharpened.<p>

"Fist weapons in a sword game, huh?" He questioned. Having the Geo Fists as a weapon was not what surprised him. What surprised him was that he was the only one that seemed to have it out of the, like 2000 or more faces that he saw in the town. As well as the shops weren't selling any sort of fist weapon. Maybe glove armor, but not weapons. "So, how do you have fist weapons?" The girl asked him, looking at the elegant red gauntlets. He shrugged, not understanding himself.  
>"Oh yeah! What's your name?" The girl stood back up to her original height, which was about a centimeter or two shorter than him.<br>"Makoto." He replied, still focused on the gauntlets.  
>"I'm Nari, Nice to meet you!" She smiled, holding her hand out to him. He shook her hand.<br>"Ahh! That's right! I need to get somewhere. I have to go!" She sprinted off, probably paying no attention to his advice he gave her.  
>"What a strange girl." Makoto thought to himself as he continued around the circle of the town.<p>

The area to the field was a set of large wooden doors, similar to that of a castle. The hinges were a brown, old fashioned metal, giving the door an old creaking noise. Nailed to the dark wood door, were pieces of black metal that outlined it. Makoto placed his hand on the door, pushing them open. Outside was even more flawless. Crossing through the grass that shined in the bright sunlight, was a dirt path with a worn down look. There was a nice, gentle breeze to accompany that. It was as if the players were actually in the real world. That was probably their goal. Scattered across the hills were boars and coyotes. The few of them howled, while the boars had beady red eyes that seemed to stay locked in an angry expression. I guess it was time to test this out. Makoto slowly approached one of the boars.

[Floor 1 Field Area]

The boar turned around, noticing him. Makoto took a stance (Jude Mathis, Tales of Xillia battle stance), preparing himself. This was like real life. He was in full control. The boar charged, squealing as it ran at full speed. Makoto circled around it, kicking it's back with his foot. Turning back around, the boar charged again. Makoto got in close, circling around it. It swiped at him with it's tusks. Makoto easily dodged it, smashing it's side with a basic combo of two left jabs and a power right jab. The boar toppled over onto it's side, as a healtbar appeared above its head. It's health went down a lot, however, it seemed to be still in the green. It got back up, shaking the dirt off it's head. Makoto took this time to strike again. He sprinted forward, his right fist charging with a yellow glow. The boar had just got it's bearings back, but was met with an uppercut straight to it's jaw from the ground. The air blasted it into the air slightly, as his left gauntlet charged with an blue glow. Makoto smashed the palm of his hand into's rib cage, pushing it to the ground. The boar managed a final squeal, before it's HP reached zero, exploding into blue particles and what looked like shattered white glass floating around in the air.

Makoto took a look at his gauntlets again. They really were weapons. He had heard about what the game called "sword skills" and chaining them together can lead to some lethal stuff. But nevertheless, Makoto liked it. Being able to fight creatures with your actual body had an exciting feel to it. It wasn't just mashing buttons and hope your attack killed them first with the occasional retreat to heal. It seemed much more than that. Makoto decided to wander around the hilly area, to see what he could find.

The area was mainly the same, except for another area of floating islands that looked as if they were ripped out of the ground. He could hear the voices of two others as he looked around.

"Aaaaaaaaargggggggghhh!" A faint flash of red light caught his view, as the sound of a monster dieing was played.

"Good job." A male player complemented his friend's work.  
>"Jeez, that's tiring." Makoto watched from, not so afar.<br>"Those things are just about the same as slimes from other RPGs." The black haired swordsman told him, as he seemed pretty knowledgeable.  
>"WHAT!? I thought that thing was, like, twenty levels above us!" The red haired one complained, holding his dagger in a stabbing position. The blade charged with a red glow again, as he stabbed the air.<br>"Get's pretty addicting, huh?" The black haired one commented after seeing the other continuously stab the air with.  
>"I'll say..." The two laughed, their conversation continued on, however, Makoto was not worried about that. He crouched behind a rock, watching the monster that was creeping up on them.<p>

A scorpion. It was large, maybe four to six times the size of a normal boar, witch was about half as tall as a average human. It's stinger was black with a blood red gleam to it. It's eyes were also of the same color. It's segmented body was an ebony black along with purple, while it's pincers were a dark brown. He looked closely. Not one health bar. But, two.

"-!" Makoto didn't have a second to wait. If he waited any longer, those two would be dead meat. He rushed in. The two glanced at him.

"Is that guy running towards us?" The red haired one asked.  
>"Seems so-!" The black haired one turned around, finally noticing the scorpion. "Is that a freaking boss?!" The red haired one asked with a worried tone. While it was focused on the two, Makoto slid in front of them, his left gauntlet charging with blue energy. He slammed his palm against it's head, pushing it back while dealing a fair bit of damage.<br>"You good?" He asked them, taking his fighting stance.  
>"Y-yeah!" The two drew their weapons. The black haired one wielded a one handed long sword, while the other wielded a slightly curved dagger.<br>"What're your names?" Makoto didn't take his eyes off the scorpion, however, asked them.  
>"Huh?" The red haired one seemed confused.<br>"Your names." He repeated.  
>"I'm Klein!" The red haired one told him quickly.<br>"And you?" Makoto asked the other one.  
>"Kirito." He readied his sword.<br>"I'm Makoto. How about we take this guy down?" He smirked, as they were in a triangle formation.  
>"Yeah!" Klein yelled in determination, looking serious.<br>"Prepare yourselves." Makoto advised, as the scorpion roared.

Makoto took a few steps forward. The scorbion jabbed at his head with it's tail. Makoto backstepped, causing it's stinger to get stuck in the ground. He slid around it, charging both his fists with blue energy. A flurry of punches met the back of it's tail, causing it to roar as it pulled it's tail out of the ground. It spun around focused on him now. "Now!" He signaled them with a punch. Klein dashed in, stabbing it's back legs with his dagger. Followed up with that, Kirito charged his sword with a blue energy, taking a few powerful slashes at it's tail. The scorpion swept it's tail, taking them by surprise, cutting them just before they leaped out of it's attack range. It only took of a bit of their health, however, Makoto realized why it's attack wasn't very strong. Right next to their health bars, was a purple box with a white drop in it.  
>"Poison." He should've realized it sooner. He knew that there were two possibilities, that one it's power was high, or that it would inflict poison. The poison slowly drained their health. He had to think of something. Some weakness. As the two were dodging, he was observing it's tail. He noticed something. Each time the tail attacked, it revealed part of it's skin that wasn't covered with it's armoring. He just had to find the right time, most likely while the tail was stuck in the ground. The scorpion bashed it's pincers into Klein's stomach, sending him down to yellow HP, as well as making him drop his dagger. "Urgh!" He tried to get back up, but another status affect appeared. "Paralysis?!" Kirito glanced over at him, slashing away the incoming attacks like it was no problem, but he was clearly surprised. The poison was still slowly degrading his health. The scorpion changed it's hate, and swung it's tail at Klein, who was on the ground. Makoto slid in, blocking the tail with his arms in an X formation, charged with green energy. He uppercut the tail away from him, allowing him to push it away with a few left jabs. Klein was almost in red, Kirito was also surprised, and Makoto was only slightly damaged from his guard. "Were going to get wiped out if this keeps up!" Kirito advised, regrouping with the other two as the scorpion tried to get it's bearings back. Makoto remembered something while he looked at his menu. In his skills section, he saw something that may be able to help. He swiped his hand down, opening the skill section, hurriedly scrolling down to the bottom.<br>"Do you...have something...?" Klein managed, while having trouble getting up. The poison wore off, and the paralysis seemed to be weakening. "Found it." The Geo Fists charged with a lime energy, draining to the tips of the gauntlets. A green orb formed as he separated the gauntlets. It split into two flying towards the ground. As they shot through the ground, a green circle with what seemed to be green flames appeared below Klein and Kirito. Their bodies were enveloped in a light green aura, as their HP began to regenerate. Klein healed to about three-quarters, while Kirito was back to full. The paralysis wore off as Klein stood up. He bent down, picking up his dagger. They all looked at the scorpion.  
>"Time for a counterattack." The three of them began to run towards it.<br>"You got a plan?!" Klein asked him.  
>"Yeah. When the tail attacks, it reveals it's unarmored skin. I'm going to distract it. Klein, I want you to take out one of it's legs. Kirito, take care of the tail!" They both seemed focused, but it was clear they could hear him.<p>

They weaved around, so that Klein was now on the left. Makoto slid to a stop in front of the scorpion, placing his fists into a X formation again. It's eyes gleamed read with hatred, as it's tail cocked backwards. The stinger began to plunge at him. "Quick!" Makoto leaped backwards, pivoting around to it's backside, while Klein slashed it's leg with a red charged attack. It slightly toppled, trying to get it's tell out of the ground. Klein leaped back towards the tail. Kirito took a large power uppercut slash with his blue charged sword.

"Switch!" He jumped back, as Klein took his place, repeatedly impaling it's weakness with his dagger.  
>"Switch, Makoto!" Klein leaped back away from it.<br>"Y-yeah, right!" He dashed in, as his right fist charged with a bright red glow. It's HP had gone down considerably. It had about a quarter of it's HP left, in the red. "Good night!" Makoto shouted, as he smashed his fist straight into it's unarmored tail. It roared in pain, as it's HP slowly stopped at zero. And just like the other enemies, it exploded into a mixture of white and blue.

*LEVEL UP!*  
>Makoto (without weaponarmor boosts)

Lvl4-Lvl8  
>STR - 31- 39<br>AGI - 23 - 31  
>DEX - 25 - 32<br>HIT - 30- 37  
>DODGE - 30-36<br>CRIT% - 2- 3  
>*LEVEL UP*<p>

The three gasped for air. Klein was on the ground, seeming the most tired out of all of them. Kirito and Makoto were both tired as well, sitting down against the large rock next to the battle site.  
>"What the hell was that?!" Klein questioned them. Makoto shrugged.<br>"An NM (SAO Hollow Fragment Reference), maybe?" Kirito placed his hand to his chin.  
>"NM?" Makoto was also confused.<br>"I don't remember exactly what it means, but it's enemies with enhanced stats." He tried to explain, but that seems to be all the knowledge he had on it.  
>"Well at least it's dead now..." Klein managed to say while he was still heavily breathing.<br>"That's a nice pair of weapons you have." Klein commented, sitting back up regardless of how tired he was.  
>"That's what was in my inventory." Makoto looked back at the Geo Fists.<br>"I haven't seen any fist weapons sold at the shops." Klein said, looking over at Kirito.  
>"Something the matter?" Makoto asked, also glancing over at him.<br>"I'm just thinking. Klein's right, I haven't seen any either." He agreed. Makoto opened his skill menu, scrolling down to the bottom. Above the "Ally Healing" skill, was "Iron Fists".  
>"Iron Fists? Never heard of that one." Klein looked through his as well, but didn't seem to have it.<br>"Does it have a description?" Kirito asked. Makoto clicked on it. "It says the player with this skill is able to use fist-type weapons." Makoto also noticed something when he read it aloud. Instead of saying, "the players with this...", it said, "the PLAYER with this..." It implied that only one person had it. The two started to talk, as Makoto looked at the sky. It was truly a fantasy world.

[A while later... Floating islands (I don't know what they were called), Sunset]

"Anyways, I'm going to log out. I got a pizza coming at 5:30!" Klein had an excited tone.  
>"See ya later." He turned around, opening his menu. He opened the settings section, but-.<br>"Huh?" He sounded confused, as Makoto and Kirito turned around, they noticed the dumbfounded look on his face as he turned towards them.  
>"What's wrong?" Makoto asked. "The LOGOUT button is missing." Klein stated.<br>"I think you're just looking in the wrong place. It should be in the-!" Kirito opened his menu, hitting the settings section. At the bottom, the button that was previously stated in the guide to be the LOGOUT button, was empty. "It's empty for me too." Makoto added. There was total silence for a few minutes.

"A-a-anyways! I-I'm sure it's just a b-bug!" Klein slightly laughed while rubbing the back of his head.  
>"This is serious. If players can't logout, there's going to be some major problems." Kirito told him with a serious tone.<br>"I know! I'll just pull the damn NerveGear off my head!" He gripped his head, trying to pull off an imaginary helmet.  
>"Can't do that. The NerverGear access your central nervous system to prevent you from moving around." Makoto remembered from what he read.<br>"Someone could come unplug the NerveGear, but it has an internal battery." Kirito tried to come up with a way.  
>"If they realize it, they can just restart the servers and log everyone out." He added onto his statement.<br>"Well, I also live alone, how about you two?" Klein asked them.  
>"I've got a younger sister, but..." Kirito was interrupted,<br>"You've got a sister!? How old is she?! What's she like?!" Klein was back to being chipper.  
>"She's younger than me and she totally hates games." Long silence again.<p>

"What about you, Makoto?" Klein asked him. "My older sister is probably getting in her room, and my mom is most likely doing dishes..." He heard a gasp of happiness, "No, she's not interested."  
>"Then, what do we do?" Klein questioned them.<p>

A loud bell rang.

"That's a force teleport!" Kirito yelled as they were all transported off.

[Town of Beginnings - Plaza]

The three of them appeared next to each other. Others were still warping in, while many were walking around and asking questions about what was going on. No one seemed to know.  
>"What's that?" Klein pointed up into the sky. A red flashing rupee shaped box.<br>"Warning?" Makoto was confused. The boxes multiplied, covering the entire sky. The light over the Town of Beginnings was now a bloody red. Speaking of blood- A red liquid slowly fell from the top of the doom, manifesting into a large robed figure. The robe was dark red, with various gold linings and some small black designs. A shadow was casted over the face within the hood, but it just seemed to be a floating robe.

"Greetings players, I am Akihiko Kayaba, and welcome to Sword Art Online." His voice overpowered everything else.  
>"One thing you all are probably wondering is 'where's the LOGOUT button?' so I'll tell you." "This is not a defect. I repeat, this is not a defect. This is how Sword Art Online is meant to be played."<p>

"What!?" Makoto was taken aback by this news. Klein and Kirito were also surprised.  
>"Why would he do that?" Klein questioned. So many questions from everyone, hopefully he had answers. Around Kayaba's robed figure, numerous news reports and vidoes popped up around him.<p>

"As you can see, many deaths have already occured, all most likely due to the family attempting to remove the NerveGear, at best. The international news has around the clock coverage on the situation, including the deaths. There are now 213 less players than when the game officially started." He pointed out.

"213 LESS?" Kirito gasped at the fact. Makoto was staring as well, with no sort of comment to lighten the mood.

"So we can die if someone tries to remove it?" Makoto asked him. The figure nodded.

"It's important to remember the following; there is no longer a way to revive someone in the game. If your hit points reach zero, your avatar will automatically be deleted, and the NerveGear will send electrical impulses, destroying your brain." This time, it was total silence. It broke after a few seconds. Some started to go crazy. Some were screaming and running around.  
>"If we die in the game... We die for real?" Klein's eyes widened. Kirito was horrified as well, but Makoto seemed focused.<p>

"Currently, the only way to escape Castle Aincrad is to defeat the floor boss and advance to the next floor, and defeat the final boss on floor 100. Right now, you are all gathered on Floor 1, the lowest level of Aincrad. If you defeat the dungeon's floor boss, you can advance to the next floor. If you defeat the boss on floor 100, you will clear the game, freeing all those who are still alive."

"100 floors...? You can't be serious! Even the beta testers didn't make it that far!" Klein shouted, but he paid no attention.

"I've placed a little present in everyone's inventory, why don't you take a look?" The sound of menus opening filled the area.

"A mirror?" Makoto clicked on it, as it appeared in his hand. Kirito, Klein, and along with everyone else, were engulfed by the blue light. The mirror remained in his hand. He quickly unequipped it.  
>"You guys okay?" Makoto turned around, noticing the two's different looks.<p>

"Klein!?" "Kirito?!" They both noticed that Makoto didn't change, but disregarded that.

Klein's hair was no longer very long like before. Instead, his hair was held up with the same bandanna (or whatever it is), but still had it's red color. He was about the same height. Kirito had semi-long black hair with dark gray eyes, which replaced his hero-like avatar look. He was shorter than his previous avatar was.  
>"The NerveGear, that's right, it scanned out faces, but how does it know my height and body type?" He was confused as well.<br>"Remember, the NerveGear had you touch your body, like this." Klein demonstrated as he started to squeeze his arms with his hands.  
>"You're right, that's how it got that information." He remembered. However, Makoto's NerveGear that he was sent didn't force him to do that. Was it perhaps it already had his data stored?<p>

"Now you're also probably wondering, 'Why? Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of Sword Art Online and NerveGear, do such a thing'" It was as if he were reading their minds.  
>"The answer is simple. I made a world in which I was in charge, and I was the creator. I wished to create a world and where I decided the fate." Everyone gasped.<p>

"Kayaba-!" Makoto held Kirito back by stopping him with his arm.

"As you can see, I have achieved that goal." He finished.

"This marks the end of the tutorial, and the official launch. Players, I wish you the best of luck." The robe was covered with a static like texture, disappearing as it fell to the ground. The sky cleared. Panic filled the plaza.

Makoto, who noticed something odd before the robe disappeared, had a chill run down his spine. He swore that he saw a human face under that robe, looking dead at him as he saw him. Was it a joyful smile, or was it just a mask? There was no time to waste. One day in here was another lost in their real lives. Makoto quickly turned around, pushing his way through the crowd. There was no time to waste.

"Makoto!" Klein tried to stop him, but couldn't catch up.  
>"Looks like he' serious too..." Kirito whispered to himself.<p>

Welcome to Sword Art Online. Scavenge. Slay. Survive.

*Quick Note* I', trying my best to make the format look better, which looks perfectly fine when I write it.  
>*Other Note* I use the Sword Art Online Font to write this, just for fun, but it doesn't transfer over to fanfiction. If you wish, you can find it devianArt by a person names darkblackswords. He did a really good job with it.<p>

*end of notes*


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